Friday Fictioneers

Escape — Friday Fictioneers August 17

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 11 Comments

Title:  Escape
Source:  Friday Fictioneers sponsored by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple
Word count: 100 words

PHOTO PROMPT © Yvette Prior

Marty spent his nights singing in smoky bars. It wasn’t glamorous, but it paid the bills. After last night’s show, the band and some ladies continued the party at Ned’s place. Marty woke, head pounding and nauseous from the smell of alcohol, stale cigarettes and cheap perfume lingering in the room.

His mind shook free from his self-induced coma. He rode a merry-go-round, an endless circle of perpetual motion. He waited, hoping to feel real emotion, looking for proof of life. It wasn’t here. He knew what he must do. Marty grabbed his keys, walked out and closed the door.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The Drop — Friday Fictioneers August 10

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 14 Comments

Title:  The Drop
Source:  Friday Fictioneers sponsored by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple
Word count: 100 words

PHOTO PROMPT © Ronda Del Boccio

His directions showed a booth in the empty section at the rear of the diner. The hostess motioned for him to sit and dropped the menu on the table. Bart sat his back to the brick wall and watched her disappear around the divider, leaving him alone.

He leaned forward and ran his hands underneath the tabletop and the bench where he sat. He checked his phone, determining he was in the correct spot

“Where is it,” he wondered?

A planter box sat on the divider and Bart’s hand snaked along the rim, searching. He removed the envelope and smiled.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Precious Things — Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 14 Comments

Title:  Precious Things
Source:  Friday Fictioneers sponsored by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple
Word count: 100 words

PHOTO PROMPT © Sandra Crook

Anna and Pops walked the property line surveying the new pressure treated fence. She didn’t care about the fence until the neighbor called complaining about Pops’ cows in his field. Pops refused to do anything more than patch it, but the cows pushed through his feeble fixes. Tired of the drama Anna coughed up the cash to replace it ending the drama. Pops was proud of his new fence and the neighbor’s field was cow free.

“So, Pops, when are you getting rid of this pile?” she asked.

“Why would I get rid of this? I might need it someday.”

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The April Fools — Friday Fictioneers July 27

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 7 Comments

Title:  The April Fools
Source:  Friday Fictioneers sponsored by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple
Word count: 100 words

PHOTO PROMPT © Ted Strutz 😀 (Thanks, Ted)

PHOTO PROMPT © Ted Strutz (Thanks, Ted)

Ice floated in the lake, but the April Fools boats were ready. April Fool’s Day marked a spring ritual, two boat launches followed by a dinner at Dockers. As Bill, John and I walked the pier, I realized I had forgotten my jacket. Sitting on the water chilled me to the bone, and it had worsened these last forty years. John always insisted on sitting outside while Carol and I voted for an inside table. This year I wouldn’t object. Today there were tears in John’s eyes as we talked of other boat launches and how much we missed Carol.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Small Town (The Rewrite) — Friday Fictioneers July 20

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 2 Comments

Title: Small Town
Source:  Friday Fictioneers sponsored by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple
Word count: 100 words

PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson

This is a story I posted a few days ago for Friday Fictioneers. One of the comments suggested it might have more impact if written in the present simple.  So here is both the original and the rewrite. Let me know which version you like better.

The Original Story
Moist sheets clung to my body. The sun beat on me trying to turn my bruises lobster red. The oscillating fan set on high evaporated the perspiration and raised goosebumps as the artificial breeze swept across my body. I closed my eyes, tired of the heat, tired of this small town and the smaller minds that lived here. Small townspeople talked about everyone’s business and buried their secrets deep. I hid my secret well, so they would never guess why I left. I pulled the drapes across the window. Neither the sun nor that man would beat on me again.

The Rewritten Story
Moist sheets cling to my body. The sun beats on me trying to turn my bruises lobster red. The oscillating fan set on high evaporates the perspiration and raises goosebumps as the artificial breeze sweeps across my body. I close my eyes, tired of the heat, tired of this small town and the smaller minds that live here. Small townspeople talk about everyone’s business and bury their secrets deep. I hide my secret well, so they will never guess why I left. I pull the drapes across the window. Neither the sun nor that man will beat on me again.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Small Town — Friday Fictioneers July 20

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 20 Comments

Title: Small Town
Source:  Friday Fictioneers sponsored by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple
Word count: 100 words

PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson

Moist sheets clung to my body. The sun beat on me trying to turn my bruises lobster red. The oscillating fan set on high evaporated the perspiration and raised goosebumps as the artificial breeze swept across my body. I closed my eyes, tired of the heat, tired of this small town and the smaller minds that lived here. Small townspeople talked about everyone’s business and buried their secrets deep. I hid my secret well, so they would never guess why I left. I pulled the drapes across the window. Neither the sun nor that man would beat on me again.

__________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Childish Antics — Friday Fictioneers July 13

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 6 Comments

Title: Childish Antics
Source:  Friday Fictioneers sponsored by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple
Word count: 100 words

PHOTO PROMPT © Liz Young

Dale fumbled with his backpack and the tumbler of hot coffee as he tried to lock the front door while the agenda for the day scrolled through his head. He turned and stopped dead in his tracks.

“What the hell?”

Dale stared at the masked man wearing a blood-stained lab coat, locked in a roller cage wrapped in crime scene tape and Halloween cobwebs.

“Bobby?”

The masked man nodded.

“Isn’t it a little early for Halloween?”

This time his head shook.

“You okay?”

Another nod answered him.

“Great cause I don’t have time for your antics. I’m late for work.”

 

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Technological Advancements — Friday Fictioneers July 6

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 23 Comments

Title: Technological Advancements
Source:  Friday Fictioneers sponsored by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple
Word count: 100 words

PHOTO PROMPT © J Hardy Carroll

A single sentinel stood in the plaza, a prosthetic leg seemingly abandoned by its owner. The inquisitive approached, and that’s when the leg moved like a radio-controlled car taking a spin around the block. Or the leg would roll behind someone until they noticed. The women screamed, and the men jumped and laughed. Whether they laughed from embarrassment or amusement was difficult to tell.

The boys sat nearby with the controller.

“You sure your dad is ok with this,” Joey asked for the millionth time.

“Yeah, he thinks it’s funny, and he wants us to update his new one too.”

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Lucille — Friday Fictioneers June 29

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 17 Comments

Title: Lucille
Source:  Friday Fictioneers sponsored by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple
Word count: 100 words

PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

Robbie grabbed a breakfast sandwich from the microwave and poured milk into his hot coffee.  Hanging over the kitchen sink, he snarfed the sandwich as fast as he could, washing down each bite with a sip of coffee. One glanced at his watch told him he needed to get moving if he didn’t want to be late again.

He paused as he headed toward the door, glancing at his gear piled in the corner of the living room. How long since he had played Lucille? Robbie pulled his cell phone from his pocket and sent a text to his boss.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Atonement — Friday Fictioneers June 22

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 6 Comments

Title: Atonement
Source: Friday Fictioneers sponsored by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple
Word count: 100 words

PHOTO PROMPT © Fatima Fakier Deria

Chiara wasn’t a tourist; this was a pilgrimage. Her friends called her “crazy” and her mother cried. Her quest entailed visiting each of the 139 churches in Venice plus a handful of synagogues.

She was lost. The canal filled with cargo-laden boats offered her a little help.

“Si, signorina, la chiesa di San Martino è lì,” the man on the boat gestured to a building right in front of her.

In the dimly lit church, it took a few minutes for her eyes to adjust and find a seat in a pew. She prayed, hoping God would grant her forgiveness.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer